National Grid awards £150m gas pipeline contract

A £150 million contract for a gas pipeline project has been awarded by National Grid.

As part of a joint venture, Skanska, PORR and A.Hak will design and build a replacement high pressure gas pipeline within a tunnel, underneath the River Humber from Paull to Goxhill.

The three-year project will replace the existing pipeline which lies on the riverbed. It will be 3.36 miles long, of which 3.18 miles would be tunnelled and connect to the existing National Grid AGI [above ground installation] sites at Paull and Goxhill.

National Grid said the tidal patterns of the River Humber have eroded the river bed covering the existing pipeline, leading to parts of it at risk of being exposed.

A short term engineering solution to protect the pipeline by covering exposed areas was put in place in 2010. However due to the importance of the pipeline, the grid operator is looking to build a new pipeline as a long term replacement.

The project is subject to consent from the Planning Inspectorate which is due in September.

Phil Croft, National Grid’s Senior Project Manager said: “This pipeline will be the longest gas pipeline in a tunnel, inserted in a single string in the world. To do this we need partners with experience and a proven track record.

“Skanska, PORR and A.Hak were able to demonstrate their expertise and knowledge throughout the tender process, giving us the confidence that this was the right company to build this tunnel and pipeline in such an environmentally sensitive and commercially busy river.”